During a curing operation, the vehicle tire is typically mounted on a curing rim which may consist of two or more sections which are connected together to encompass the tire during the curing operation. After the tire is mounted on the curing rim, it is necessary to initially expand or inflate the tire into a sealing relationship with the curing rim so that full pressure can be applied to the tire to maintain it in position during a curing operation. Because the tire is not initially sealed to the rim, it has been necessary in the past to take special steps or utilize additional sealing apparatus to achieve the initial seal. Surge tanks have been used to inflate the tire very rapidly. Other systems have employed sealing bands or inner tubes. A system employing an inner tube is disclosed in the Peterson U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,881 issued Oct. 4, 1977.